Office manager resume tips and examples
If you’re looking for a job as an office manager, you might notice that this job title covers a lot of responsibilities.
So much can fit into this seemingly simple job description. It can be hard to develop a resume that showcases your best office management skills in a way that meets the various requirements for these positions.
To help you create the best office manager resume, we’re breaking down the role of an office manager.
We’ll show you how to include your work experience in a way that demonstrates you’re the best worker for the job.
What does an office manager do?
An office manager takes care of all administrative responsibilities in an office.
The exact responsibilities can vary widely from office to office, but a few common tasks include:
Greeting visitors and answering phones
Scheduling office equipment maintenance and IT upgrades
Restocking office supplies
Maintaining office safety policies and procedures
Managing the office calendar
Filing and organizing paperwork
Despite the title of manager, most office managers don’t supervise other office staff.
To create an outstanding office manager cover letter and resume, you’ll need a good understanding of the job description for the office manager positions you’re applying for.
That way, you can highlight your skills that best match the job description.
Take these two office manager job descriptions as examples. In the first one, the office manager is responsible for basic administrative support and maintaining routine office functions.
In the second one below, the office manager requires more advanced administrative support skills. They’re responsible for note-taking, event planning, and other higher-level office operations.
Successful office managers have a combination of hard and soft skills. These soft skills typically include:
Time management
Problem-solving skills
Interpersonal communication skills
Team-building
Decision-making
What should you include on an office manager resume?
72% of hiring managers say resumes are very important in assessing applicants.
That means crafting the perfect office manager resume gives you the best chance at landing an interview — and a job.
Your office manager resume should follow a standard resume format. List your previous work experience in reverse chronological order, and use bullet points to describe your accomplishments.
Be sure to include your contact information at the top.
Here are three key sections to include on your office manager resume:
1. Relevant work experience and accomplishments
The work experience section is the most important part of your resume. This is where you show hiring managers exactly what your office manager skills can do.
If you’ve worked as an office manager before, this part will be pretty simple. Your previous office manager experience will likely be relevant to the new office manager job you’re applying for.
Other jobs, such as previous experience as an administrative assistant or office assistant, may also have a lot of responsibility overlap with the office manager position you are applying for.
But whether you’re applying for an office manager job for the first time or you have years of experience in office management and administrative support, it’s important to take a close look at the job description so you can highlight the most relevant skills from your previous jobs.
To do this, look at each line of a job description and think about what jobs you’ve held where you did a similar task.
You can draw from customer service experience, organizational responsibilities, event coordination, or any other jobs that showcase the skills that recruiters are looking for.
The most important thing to remember is to focus on your accomplishments, not your responsibilities.
A list of responsibilities just sounds like another job description. You want to show how well you handled those responsibilities.
For instance, instead of writing “Updated and maintained office filing system,” you could write something like, “Created a new filing system to improve office efficiency and inventory management.”
Another way to think about it is to give concrete examples of your office manager skills, rather than just listing them in a skills section.
Instead of listing “communication skills,” you could write, “Collaborated with other staff members on implementing a more efficient office filing system” in the appropriate section.
Lastly, don’t forget to use action verbs in every line of your resume to best highlight your work experience.
2. Technical skills and computer proficiencies
Depending on their responsibilities, office managers may need to use a variety of computer tools and software.
If you have experience in a type of software that the job description specifically asks for, be sure that’s clearly listed on your resume.
Since office manager roles and responsibilities can vary widely, it’s a good idea to list your level of proficiency in some common computer skills if space allows.
Here are just a few tools you might consider including on your office manager resume:
Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Google Suite, such as Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets
Social media accounts like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
Accounting or bookkeeping software, such as QuickBooks
CRM tools like Salesforce
You can also list any technical skills related to IT upgrades and computer hardware or software.
3. Education or certificates in relevant areas
If you’ve received any education, training, or certifications related to the office management positions you’re applying for, be sure to list those on your resume too.
This could include things like a training course in social media or business analytics tools, or even a master’s or bachelor’s degree in business administration.
3 office manager resume examples and template
To give you a better idea of what an office manager resume looks like, check out these office manager resume samples.
Office manager resume example 1
Here’s an example of a resume work history section from someone with significant experience as an office manager. Notice how they include specific numbers where possible to demonstrate their accomplishments:
Office manager resume example 2
This work experience section shows someone with experience in human resources rather than office management. Notice how these skills overlap with many office manager skills and responsibilities:
Office manager resume example 3
This office manager work experience section focuses more on accounting and bookkeeping skills:
Through these office manager resume examples, you can see how all kinds of work experience can help you land an office manager job.
Office manager resume template
If you’re ready to build your own office manager resume, you can follow this quick template:
Name/Contact Info
Work Experience
Position 1, Dates of Employment
- Accomplishment 1
- Accomplishment 2
- Accomplishment 3
Position 2, Dates of Employment
- Accomplishment 1
- Accomplishment 2
- Accomplishment 3
Technical Skills
- Skill 1, level of proficiency
- Skill 2, level of proficiency
- Skill 3, level of proficiency
Education
- Degree or certificate 1, Institution, Date Completed
- Degree or certificate 2, Institution, Date Completed
Land a new job with your office manager resume
Even if you’ve never worked as an office manager before, you can use our tips to create the perfect resume.
Pay attention to the job description and tailor your professional resume to each position by showcasing your relevant experience, technical skills, and education.
Check out the Jobcase Getting Hired Resource Center for more help in your job search.